zackarykeef

Anyone sailing on the new Viva in January 2024? It does the same itinerary each week from San Juan, and I'm considering booking one of them. Loved the Prima, so excited to try out Viva!

Just booked and wondering if anyone else will be on this sailing. Can’t wait!

I'm in the Flamingo Grill club...I'll always have that in my heart. The free breakfast with Cuban options was the best and was so much better than going to the buffet each morning. However...what they really need to do is turn it into a free/included pizza place. I love NCL, but one of the big things they are lacking that every other line has is pizza. I just sailed Princess for the first time (and probably the last)...I didn't care for it, but I can say the pizza place was great! Carnival even has a 24/7 pizzeria (about the only thing they do correctly 😂), so I don't understand why NCL only has sad pizza on the buffet. I think this concept would do very well (even if it was for a small fee TBH).

We’re disembarking now on Crown in Vancouver, and it’s definitely delayed. We received a letter in our staterooms last night that the strike is affecting luggage and disembarking, so everything was pushed back by an hour. Those with flights prior to 1pm were told they had to do self-assist walk-off because of this. Honestly, I’m not sure if people are getting off or not, as no announcements are being made, and I see no one leaving…it’s 9:50. We are scheduled as one of the last to leave at 10:40, so we’ll see 🤷🏼‍♂️

FYI, I was having this issue for a while where the CC information area was greyed out, and nothing I did would fix it. I checked again today, and it worked. CC information area was white and easily entered, able to upgrade. Maybe they fixed it, so I would check back.

We were there early-mid June. Was not cold at all...we had (per the crew) and unusually nice week. Not a single drop of rain, and it was mostly 60s-70s. I can't find any photos at the moment (I think they were never backed up from my old phone 😢), but if I find some, I'll be sure to share!

Yeah, we sail 6/23. Chat isn't working either...they're busy lol we'll just do it onboard. Thanks all!

When I actually do it, everything is pre-filled when I select the guest paying as myself. I just cleared it for posting purposes. The expiration date default is Jan 2023 for whatever reason. I can change the date, but the other fields remain greyed out. I know I can call, but that takes time depending on how busy they are. This just seemed like a quick option, which I wish would work 😅 I guess I could wait to add it once on board, but you never know if there will be a price increase. Should've just booked it from the start, but here we are 🤷‍♂️

Is anyone having/has anyone had trouble upgrading to plus/premier? This will be our first cruise with Princess, and I’ve gathered the website is glitchy and not the best. When I try to upgrade, the credit card number/CVV fields are greyed out. I’ve checked my phone, a laptop, a desktop, different browsers, etc. Just trying to figure out if it’s a glitch and I should check back later or if this is an ongoing issue. Thanks!

Hello, all! This will be our first cruise with Princess, so just wondering when they typically assign a room number if you’ve booked a guarantee room. I know how other lines work, so just wanted to see if princess was similar and it could be any time or if they are typically sooner vs closer to embarkation. Thank you!

Hi, all! We were thinking of booking this tour on our own, as it is cheaper than the ship tour. It's the express bus tour that leaves from the Empress Hotel. Has anyone used this? The tour site shows times with 2 hours at the Gardens, but my question is...can you take any return trip (they are hourly), or do you have to take the exact return that corresponds to your drop off? I guess I don't know if you can catch any bus, or they have a certain amount of people on each bus and you are bound to your exact return time. If anyone has any info, I would appreciate it! Thank you!

Hi, all! We were thinking of booking this tour on our own, as it is cheaper than the ship tour. It's the express bus tour that leaves from the Empress Hotel. Has anyone used this? The tour site shows times with 2 hours at the Gardens, but my question is...can you take any return trip (they are hourly), or do you have to take the exact return that corresponds to your drop off? I guess I don't know if you can catch any bus, or they have a certain amount of people on each bus and you are bound to your exact return time. If anyone has any info, I would appreciate it! Thank you!

Anyone recently on the Crown Princess know if there are still separate facilities? I see the spreadsheet says there is, but not sure how recently that was updated. Sailing on her (and Princess) for the first time in a few weeks!

Hi, all! Anyone else booked? My husband and I just booked yesterday and are very much looking forward to it!

We snorkeled in Ketchikan, and it was amazing. We snorkel every cruise, and it was awesome to see such different flora/fauna in Alaska compared to what we typically see around the Caribbean. We could even hear the orcas echolocating underwater! Incredible experience. We had wet suits. We brought out bathing suits to change into and were provided all the gear--full body wet suit, neoprene gloves and booties, and a balaclava-type head piece. The only part of our body that was exposed was the small area around our mouth, as the mask covered the rest of our face. The water didn't feel cold at all with that. Bathrooms/changing rooms were available. 10/10 would recommend!

Does anyone have links to menus or drink prices? I'm not a fan of the bar tab and paying for drinks, as I don't like to think about it on vacation; I, too, sail NCL mostly, and they make great drinks. However, we are considering testing VV, so would like to have an idea on drink prices. Thanks!

Do we know for a fact that Majestic doesn't sail the inside passage? I know the ones sailing from Seattle don't, but I wasn't sure since the Majestic is sailing from Vancouver if it would go all the south around Vancouver Island as opposed to just going north and through the passage. I understand if it's too big, but just checking before we book anything!

For anyone who has done Iceland (or a cruise that has the last 2 days in the same port)… We are considering booking an Iceland trip. The last two days are in Reykjavik (arrive 7am Wednesday, disembark 8am Thursday). Can you disembark any time? The flight back is 8:30am Thursday, so I’m wondering if we would be allowed to officially disembark early to make that flight. I know in places like Bermuda or other overnight stops you can come and go as you please while in port, but I’ve yet to take a cruise where the last stop is an overnight. Thank you!

Thank you so much for this Coral! We are thinking of booking this for next month, and having never cruised Princess before, this was extremely helpful! Sad though...I was very excited about the tour from Juneau to Tracy Arm you mentioned and started looking into it, only to realize the sailing we are looking at is only in Juneau from 8-5, where all the others are 8-9p. Not sure why ours is much shorter and stopping in Haines as well as opposed to Skagway, but oh well. What a bummer as we wouldn't make that tour back in time. Sigh...

Does Princess carry any other champagnes by the glass, or is the Cattier the only option? We are pretty big champagne drinkers and have never sailed Princess, but are considering it and weighing our package options.

Hi, all! Have cruise plenty, but this would be our first cruise on Princess should we choose to book. Looking at a British Isles cruise on Regal next month. The last day is in Le Havre prior to returning to Southampton the next morning. When looking at excursions, one said Paris tour with airport transfer. Why would you be going to the airport? Are you allowed to finish the cruise at that port instead, which is why they make it the last stop? I know you technically can with preapproval from the cruise line, etc, but I just thought that excursion was odd. Thank you! Zack

Hello! We are seasoned cruisers but have never been on Princess. I have sailed to Alaska before, but my husband has not. I have a cruise to use on Princess, so as we are completely new to the brand, I am wondering what ships people would recommend for Alaska. Our options include Majestic, Crown, Sapphire, or Grand. We tend to like bigger/newer ships (mostly NCL or MSC Yacht Club), but are definitely open to a smaller ship since this one is for the destination. I sailed the NCL Pearl to Alaska prior, and I loved the top deck observation lounge to soak in the views, so a ship with something similar would be nice! Would likely be in a balcony or mini-suite. Any ship recs are appreciated! Thank you in advance! Happy cruising 😎 Zack

Depends on what you want. If you just care about adults-only, Spice is fine (and free). If you want exclusivity and to make sure you always have a spot and good service, pay for Vibe. I don’t think bar service is hard to get during the day at Spice. It’s definitely ridiculous and hard to get drinks at night during the parties. My main issue with Spice is the bar area just constantly smells like cigarettes since smoking is allowed, and that wafts into the rest of Spice often. Obviously that’s a personal issue, so if that doesn’t bother you, it may not be a deciding factor.

They’re sold out. Passes are available online in advance as soon as you make final payment. We were on in December, and the Vibe bartenders told us they’re sold out through May (likely further out now, given it’s 1.5 months later). They don’t reserve any for purchase on board, regardless of what the (less than knowledgeable) landslide CS tells you. The only way to get passes on board is to get lucky if someone cancels or doesn’t show up, which would likely be hard for a group of 6. When we sailed, there were 3 people in Vibe who got the last 3 passes on board. They were literally like the 4th, 5th, and 6th guests on board, went straight to guest services, and got lucky because there were 3 cancellations.

They have music in the atrium throughout the day. The other things (presentations, trivia, etc) are spread out amongst other venues. I don’t understand people’s’ complaints about the Penrose Atrium. It’s a full 3 stories, open and airy, and feels more like an atrium than the BA/+ class. I mean, 2 story half-oval with a large tv screen (which I always found tacky) isn’t much of an atrium, and definitely nothing compared to other lines’ multi-story atriums with glass elevators all the way up. That used to be my one complaint about the BA/+ class, so I’m glad they made a real Atrium on the Prima class. JMO 🤷🏼‍♂️ The thermal suite was amazing and 💯 worth it. The front lounge area is HUGE, and it was never crowded. Definitely suggest! Breakfast… MDR until 9. Buffet until 9:30. Obs Lounge until 10. Local until 10:30. There is always something open for food. As soon as the buffet closes for lunch at 3, the Obs Lounge puts out snacks (which were delicious, by the way…try the quiche!)